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Former NBA guard Patrick Beverley has opened up about the difficult start to his professional career in Ukraine, explaining how the experience shaped the mentality he carried throughout his basketball journey. "I get a call to play in Ukraine – second division, Ukraine," Beverley said on the Out The Mud Podcast. "I hopped on that plane so fast. I was out of there." Beverley left Arkansas in 2008 and began his professional career with BC Dnipro in Ukraine. He played 46 games during the 2008-09 season, averaging 16.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks. "When you hear this backstory and see the reason why I play the way I play, it makes sense," Beverley noted. "It makes sense that I celebrate all the small wins. I appreciate every small win."
Patrick Beverley: "I didn't know what Olympiacos, I didn't understand the team I was playing for at the time until probably five months into the season. My first professional team was a second division team in Ukraine. So I went from Ukraine, got drafted to the NBA, I spent one more year in Greece, which was the team with Olympiacos. A lot of people don't understand, I don't think they even know this, I tried out for Olympiacos and made the team. I didn't come in a situation where they wanted me. My agent knew someone, I tried out for Olympiacos, I just went there playing hard and I made the team."
Ukraine picked up a narrow 84–82 victory over Latvia in a thrilling exhibition matchup at Xiaomi Arena on Sunday, fueled by an outstanding performance from Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk. The Utah Jazz guard-forward dictated the tempo early on, exploding for 23 of his game-high 25 points in the first half to propel his side to a double-digit advantage. The 29-year-old Cherkasy native finished his efficient 27-minute stint shooting 9-of-17 from the field, sinking five three-pointers. He added six rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
Real Madrid have officially announced the signing of Ukrainian guard Max Shulga, bringing the former Boston Celtics player back to Europe ahead of the 2026-27 season. The Spanish powerhouse confirmed that Shulga has agreed to a two-year contract that will keep him in Madrid through the end of the 2027-28 campaign.
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Navigating the meetings opposite Ukraine and then Spain in Athens will require tactical adjustments, particularly given some notable absences from the lineup. Chief among them is NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who will miss the window due to scheduling conflicts surrounding his NBA career, as initially reported by Eurohoops on Monday. EOK confirmed that his omission is entirely situational, explicitly dismissing any financial friction and highlighting their consistent history of securing mandatory insurance clearances for the Greek Freak. Similarly, NCAA prospects Alexandros Samodurov, Neoklis Avdalas, and Vangelis Zougris were denied release by their respective schools due to strict academic residency policies.
The Greek National Team will line up with significant absences, but also significant presences, in the two games against Ukraine and Spain, as part of the second qualifying phase for MundoBasket 2027 , after the two heavy defeats it suffered in July against Romania and Poland. In fact, Vassilis Spanoulis will not have Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kostas Sloukas at his disposal, who played a key role in winning the bronze medal at EuroBasket 2025. The Greek Freak has been playing basketball since March 15th, and therefore his new team, the Miami Heat, has not given its consent for him to participate in the upcoming games, fearing a possible injury.
Utah Jazz forward Svi Mykhailiuk delivered another impressive performance for Ukraine as the team continued its FIBA World Cup Qualifiers campaign. This time, Mykhailiuk led Ukraine to a convincing 99-69 road win over Denmark. The 29-year-old sharpshooter put on an outstanding display, finishing with 30 points (9/16 FG, 6/10 3PT, 6/6 FT), 4 rebounds, and 5 assists to guide his team to a big away victory.
“Unfortunately, we know how to deal with these situations,” said Zagklis, referring to war outbreaks in Ukraine and the Middle East that coincided with FIBA World Cup qualifying tournaments. “And also, unfortunately, the federations in the area are resilient and are ready to respond in the best possible way,” Zagklis continued. “We have excellent partners in Qatar. If things arrive at that spot, I’m sure we will have very good and direct conversations, and we’ll find the best possible solution for the players and the fans.”
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Shams Charania: The Boston Celtics are signing two-way Max Shulga on a standard two-year contract, sources tell ESPN. The Ukrainian guard went to Boston with the No. 57 pick in last June's NBA draft and has spent the season with Maine in the G League.
Pablo Torre Finds Out: NEW INVESTIGATION: Memphis Grizzlies owner Robert Pera's technology is powering Russia's drone war on Ukraine and is linked to what the UN calls "crimes against humanity," according to an undercover @hntrbrkmedia report.
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has imposed a transfer ban on Ukrainian shooting guard of the Boston Celtics, Maksym Shulga, according to the organization’s official website. Why Shulga was sanctioned The sanctions were imposed due to Shulga's debt to the Italian agency Sigma Srl, which is certified by the international federation. The total amount owed by the player exceeds 200,000 USD. In 2022, Shulga signed an agreement with the agency to represent his interests and secure new contracts.
Gary Woelfel: Maksym “Max” Shulga, a native of Ukraine, told me he’ll be heading to Milwaukee after the NBA draft combine for a workout with the Bucks. Shulga, a combo guard from Virginia Commonwealth, was the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year last season.
